Roanoke's newly privatized school bus system hit several blockades last week -- in its first week of operation. Buses arrived late to stops, students were tardy and parents flooded the transportation hotline with phone calls.

But school and transportation officials spent Saturday revising routes, and the updated versions will be posted today.

"We think it will cure most of what ails in terms of the routes that are struggling," said Curt Baker, the school system's deputy superintendent for operations.

Mountain Valley Transportation, a division of Pennsylvania-based Krapf Bus Cos., transports the city's children to and from school. Roanoke became the first school division in Virginia to outsource transportation when the school board narrowly approved a plan in April.

Like in any major transition, some minor glitches were anticipated. The city's massive overhaul of attendance zones and the permanent closure of two schools combined with a last-minute influx of school choice transfers complicated what already was a big change.

Five city schools failed to meet federal benchmarks of No Child Left Behind for the second consecutive year. Because Adequate Yearly Progress was not made, the division was required to offer students at those schools the option to transfer to a better performing school. This year, six times more students requested transfers than last school year -- a last-minute curveball for transportation officials because most changes were made in the final days of August.

Last year, 61 students took advantage of school choice versus 377 this year. Huff Lane Intermediate, Hurt Park Elementary, Lucy Addison Middle, Round Hill Primary and Westside Elementary schools did not make AYP for two consecutive years.

Baker on Saturday said that officials studied timeliness and load to adjust routes. Overextended routes will be shortened and underutilized routes will be expanded to maximize efficiency. In some cases, the route may not change but be served by a different-size bus.